Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has been cutting vinyl from digital since a long, long time ago...

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ben Adams, Jul 14, 2022.

  1. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    :laugh:
     
  2. dolstein

    dolstein Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlingon, VA
    Saying something in all CAPS doesn't make that statement any more (or less) factually accurate. You may believe that there is no audible difference between the analog master and a dsd or hi-res PCM copy of the analog master. But there's a list of people a mile long, including a number of highly regarded mastering engineers, who disagree.
     
    bkbk, Pretorius, BuyMeVinyl and 4 others like this.
  3. paulisme

    paulisme I’m being sarcastic

    Location:
    Charleston SC
    I wouldn’t want any of my favorite music to be given the One-Step treatment even if it meant better sound. At this point MoFi is tainted, and consumers will never listen to their records again without this controversy being top of mind. There are other audiophile labels without this stench that are more deserving of releasing that music.
     
    DaveyF and MonkeyTennis like this.
  4. thrivingonariff

    thrivingonariff Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    For further insight, see above.
     
  5. docwebb

    docwebb Forum Resident

    Here are some bits from the WaPo article.

    “Not that you can’t make good records with digital, but it just isn’t as natural as when you use the original tape,” says Bernie Grundman, 78, the mastering engineer who worked on the original recordings of Steely Dan’s “Aja,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic.”

    “It’s the biggest debacle I’ve ever seen in the vinyl realm,” says Kevin Gray, a mastering engineer who has not worked with MoFi but has produced reissues of everyone from John Coltrane to Marvin Gaye.

    And every One-Step, which cut out parts of the production process to supposedly get closer to the original tape, includes a thick explainer sheet in which the company outlines in exacting detail how it creates its records. But there has been one very important item missing: any mention of a digital step.

    The company has obscured the truth in other ways. MoFi employees have done interviews for years without mentioning digital.
     
  6. kundryishot

    kundryishot Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wales
    If only that were true
     
    jo66hn likes this.
  7. Balcanquhal

    Balcanquhal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Inverness
    Yes, exactly, SC is clear that they're cut from tape. Whether there's an engineer's signature in the runout is fairly meaningless.
     
  8. paulisme

    paulisme I’m being sarcastic

    Location:
    Charleston SC
    I just read the WaPo article. It’s absolutely devastating for MoFi. We learn a lot about how the higher-ups at the company didn’t realize that their naive non-marketing in-it-for-the-love-of-the-music engineers would gladly tell the truth because they were proud of their work. The link to Fremer’s tweet is also damning; I think he’s lost as much credibility as MoFi in this article.
     
  9. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    To the first point, yes.

    To the second point, it depends. Some folks have their preferred engineers and like to buy records cut by those people.
     
    zombiemodernist likes this.
  10. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    Your wish has been granted.
     
  11. killerofgiants

    killerofgiants Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    Now that the MoFi drama has settled and we've all moved past it, can somebody confirm that the Garth Brooks ANALOG box set is AAA?
     
  12. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    I also think it’s good practice to credit the mastering engineer themselves, especially as an audiophile label. Who’s doing the hardest work to make these releases sound good?
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  13. Balcanquhal

    Balcanquhal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Inverness
    Sure, but I was merely making the point that I find the idea that a label is more transparent because their engineers put a mark in the deadwax laughable.
     
  14. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Agreed, though I have encountered many releases where the wrong engineer was credited on the packaging. Either from copying over old info from a previous edition, or due to having the artwork done before the lacquers are cut.
     
    zombiemodernist likes this.
  15. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    I do, 1969 Scranton pressing. I remember it sounding amazing but I need to spin again. The MFSL is no slouch though, definitely in my “good/great” keeper pile for their albums.
     
    mpayan and jgrillo like this.
  16. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    One thing does not necessarily exclude the other. We can have transparency w/r/t sourcing as well as accurate mastering credits and deadwax sigs. I think reputable labels should try harder to make this happen.
     
  17. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    It’s horse piss beer. No idea if they still make it as I don’t drink anymore but pretty sure they do.
     
    CBackley likes this.
  18. Static

    Static Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY
    Here is a question...If MOFI released the Beatles albums sourced from DSD or 24/192 files....on a one step .would you buy it?
    I probably would. ONLY if they told me first.
     
  19. matt0505

    matt0505 Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    The Washington Post article is outstanding. It’s so refreshing to see actual JOURNALISM in an age where so much of it revolves around people yelling at each other about “right” and “wrong.” It presents both sides well, informs people uneducated about the topic, and doesn’t try at all to tell you how to feel about it. The way it should be.
     
  20. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    Yeah I like your idea about dead wax signatures, it's really the only foolproof way to know. Either way doubt there's much concern higher up even at smaller labels. As Q-Tip puts it:

    "Industry rule number four thousand and eighty/Record company people are shady"
     
    Alright4now, nosliw and patient_ot like this.
  21. rnranimal

    rnranimal Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    The One-Step can now be "ONE-STEP (after that other step)"
     
    CBackley likes this.
  22. Beach House

    Beach House Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Probably already posted, but Mike In Groove is doing a live stream Q&A tomorrow at 2:30 PM
    I wonder if this will come up :agree:
     
    Aftermath likes this.
  23. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    MFSL? There was a 1980’s Beatles LP box.. goes for big $$$$ on eBay.
     
  24. Aftermath

    Aftermath Senior Member

    Great post.
     
    GFaulk and DeRosa like this.
  25. DeRosa

    DeRosa Vinyl Forever

    Many new stampers can be made off the "father" and "mother" metalwork.
    Only the 3rd generation pressing plates see wear from making the vinyl.
    Unless they physically damage the father, subsequence platings can continue,
    because the father is metal, not lacquer.

    That's the issue with One-Step - it destroys the lacquer when plated, and all they have is one stamper from the process.
    The whole point of the 3 step model was to make huge numbers of records in production,
    as was standard practice in the vinyl era when records sold by the millions.
     
    FashionBoy and Balcanquhal like this.

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